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The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a 1965 American musical drama film produced and directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. The film is an adaptation of the 1959 Broadway musical The Sound of Music, composed by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. The film's screenplay was written by Ernest Lehman, adapted from the stage musical's book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. Based on the memoir The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp, the film is about a young Austrian woman studying to become a nun in Salzburg in 1938 who is sent to the villa of a retired naval officer and widower to be governess to his seven children. After bringing love and music into the lives of the family through kindness and patience, she marries the officer and together with the children find a way to survive the loss of their homeland through courage and faith. Plot Maria is a free-spirited young Austrian woman studying to become a nun at Nonnberg Abbey in Salzburg in 1938. Her love of music and the mountains, her youthful enthusiasm and imagination, and her lack of discipline cause some concern among the nuns. The Mother Abbess, believing Maria would be happier outside the abbey, sends her to the villa of retired naval officer Captain Georg von Trapp to be governess to his seven children—Liesl, Friedrich, Louisa, Kurt, Brigitta, Marta, and Gretl. The Captain has been raising his children alone using strict military discipline following the death of his first wife. At first, the children treat Maria as they did their former governesses—playing tricks on her as a way of gaining their father's attention. Maria responds with kindness and patience, and soon the children come to trust and respect her. While the Captain is away in Vienna, Maria makes play clothes for the children out of old drapes—replacing their naval-style uniforms—and takes them around Salzburg and the surrounding mountains. Their bond is strengthened when she teaches them how to sing. When the Captain returns to the villa with Baroness Elsa Schraeder, a wealthy socialite, and their mutual friend, Max Detweiler, they are greeted by Maria and the children returning from a boat ride on the lake that concludes when their boat overturns. Displeased by his children's clothes and activities, and Maria's impassioned appeal that he get closer to his children, the Captain orders her to return to the abbey. Just then he hears singing coming from inside the house and is astonished to see his children singing for the Baroness. Filled with emotion, the Captain joins his children, singing for the first time in years. Afterwards, he apologizes to Maria and asks her to stay. Soon after, Maria and the children put on a marionette show for the Baroness, the Captain, and Max, who proposes he enter them in the upcoming Salzburg Festival—a suggestion immediately rejected by the Captain who will not allow his children to sing in public. He does agree, however, to organize a grand party at the villa. The night of the party, while guests in formal attire waltz in the ballroom, Maria and the children look on from the garden terrace. When the Captain notices Maria teaching Kurt the traditional Ländler folk dance, he cuts in and partners with Maria in a graceful performance, culminating in a close embrace. Confused about her feelings, Maria blushes and breaks away. Later, the Baroness, who noticed the Captain's attraction to Maria, hides her jealousy while convincing Maria that she must return to the abbey. Maria's departure deeply affects the children, who no longer find joy in singing. They are also disappointed to learn that the Baroness will soon become their stepmother. Back at the abbey, when Mother Abbess learns that Maria has stayed in seclusion to avoid her feelings for the Captain, she encourages her to return to the villa to look for her life. After Maria returns to the villa, she learns about the Captain's engagement to the Baroness and agrees to stay until they find a replacement governess. The Captain's feelings for Maria, however, have not changed, and soon he breaks his engagement and declares his love to Maria, who returns his affections and accepts his marriage proposal. Some time later, Maria walks down the aisle of a large baroque cathedral toward the Captain, who is waiting at the altar dressed in his formal uniform—and they are married. While the Captain and Maria are on their honeymoon, Max enters the children in the Salzburg Festival against their father's wishes. When they learn that Austria was annexed into the Third Reich in the Anschluss, the couple return to their home, where a large Nazi flag hangs above the front door. After pulling the flag down and ripping it in half, the Captain reads a telegram informing him that he must report to the German Naval Headquarters in Bremerhaven to accept a commission in the German Navy. Strongly opposed to the Nazis and the Anschluss, the Captain tells his family they must leave Austria immediately. That night, as the von Trapp family attempt to leave, they are stopped by German soldiers waiting outside the villa. When questioned by Gauleiter Hans Zeller, the Captain maintains they are headed to the Salzburg Festival to perform. Zeller insists on escorting them to the festival, after which his men will accompany the Captain to Bremerhaven. Later that night at the festival, during their final number, the von Trapp family slip away and seek shelter at the nearby abbey, where Mother Abbess hides them in the cemetery crypt. Nazi soldiers soon arrive and search the abbey, but the family is able to escape using the caretaker's car. When the soldiers attempt to pursue, they discover their cars will not start; two nuns had stolen their engine parts. The next morning, after driving to the border, the von Trapp family make their way on foot across the mountains into Switzerland to freedom. Cast * Julie Andrews as Maria, a young Austrian woman studying to become a nun * Christopher Plummer as Captain von Trapp, a retired Austrian naval officer * Eleanor Parker as the Baroness, Elsa von Schraeder * Richard Haydn as Max Detweiler, a friend of the Baroness and the Captain * Peggy Wood as the Mother Abbess * Charmian Carr as Liesl, the first and eldest child * Nicholas Hammond as Friedrich, the second child * Heather Menzies as Louisa, the third child * Duane Chase as Kurt, the fourth child and younger boy * Angela Cartwright as Brigitta, the fifth child * Debbie Turner as Marta, the sixth child * Kym Karath as Gretl, the seventh and youngest child * Anna Lee as Sister Margaretta * Portia Nelson as Sister Berthe * Ben Wright as Herr Zeller * Daniel Truhitte as Rolfe, a telegram delivery boy * Norma Varden as Frau Schmidt, the housekeeper * Gil Stuart as Franz, the butler * Marni Nixon as Sister Sophia * Evadne Baker as Sister Bernice * Doris Lloyd as Baronness Ebberfeld, a guest at the Captain's ball External links * Category:Films Category:1965 release Category:Musical & Dance Films Category:Julie Andrews films Category:Christopher Plummer films